Queen's Platinum Jubilee Programme
Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council marked the 70th year of Her Majesty The Queen on the throne with a full programme of Queen's Platinum Jubilee events for the local community in early 2022. The programme below highlights the council's activities.
Queen's Green Canopy (LCCC)
70 Tilia ‘Pallida’ trees, a variety of lime, were planted at Billy Neill MBE Country Park by Alderman Stephen Martin (2021/22 LCCC Mayor), The Queen’s Green Canopy Ambassador for Northern Ireland Lady Mary Peters, Lord Lieutenant of County Down Gawn Rowan Hamilton and Chair of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Working Group Councillor Hazel Legge with the help of children from Dundonald Primary School.
Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant for County Antrim Mr David McCorkell also joined Mayor Martin, Councillor Hazel Legge and Chief Executive, David Burns to plant a special tree at Council Headquarters at Lagan Valley Island.
In addition to this, LCCC have also planted a tree in each District Electoral Area in the following locations: Castle Gardens, Sir Milne Barbour Memorial Park, Maghaberry Village Green, Moira Demesne, Annahilt Play Park and Hydebank Park & Playing Fields
Find out more HERE.
Queen's Platinum Jubilee Exhibition
The Irish Linen Centre and Museum opened an exhibition to mark the 70th anniversary of the proclamation of accession of Her Majesty The Queen to the throne.
This included displays of royal memorabilia, images and literature relating to royal visits to Lisburn and footage from Lisburn Camera Club’s 1953 film ‘A Royal Occasion’, a step back in time showing Lisburn at the time of the Queen’s Coronation in February 1952.
You can find out more HERE.
Beacon Lighting
The community of Lisburn & Castlereagh came together at the council’s beacon lighting at Hillsborough Fort in Royal Hillsborough to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
The Lord Lieutenant of County Down Mr Gawn Rowan Hamilton lit the beacon alongside Alderman Stephen Martin (2021/22 LCCC Mayor) and David Burns, Chief Executive of LCCC.
Musical performances were delivered by Wallace High School Jazz Band and the NI Military Wives Choir.
The crowd were treated to compositions from the very talented piper Mark Smyth and bugler Andrew Carlisle.
The bugle fanfare ‘Majesty’ was composed by Bugler Andrew Carlisle of the Hillsborough Fort Guard. He was requested by Her Majesty’s Pageant Master to compose a fanfare that would herald the lighting of the chain of Platinum Jubilee beacons across the globe.
You can see some highlights from the event HERE.
Gun Salute at Hillsborough Castle
Secretary of State, Rt Hon Brandon Lewis MP welcomed guests to Hillsborough Castle for a Gun Salute in Royal Hillsborough.
This special event was jointly hosted by the Secretary of State, Alderman Stephen Martin (2021/22 LCCC Mayor) and Brigadier James Senior CBE (38 (Irish) Brigade)
You can see some highlights HERE.
Great ARTdoors Festival
Families enjoyed two afternoons jam packed with theatre, arts, music and crafts as part of the Great ARTdoors Festival to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.
The events in Castle Gardens, Lisburn and Moat Park, Dundonald also helped raise vital funds for the Mayor’s Charities: Helping Hand who support the Royal Belfast Hospital of Sick Children (RBHSC) and the Atlas Centre who provide support for women, men and families in Lisburn.
On each day there were three family friendly shows of The Queen’s Treasure: The Maverick Mermaid and Me before the Swingtime Starlets closed each evening with nostalgic tunes.
Find out more: https://www.lisburncastlereagh.gov.uk/news/residents-from-across-lisburn-castlereagh-enjoyed-celebrating-for-the-queen
Queen's Platinum Jubilee Grant Fund
91 community groups shared a £45,000 pot to host a range of celebrations and events as part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee programme.
Planned events include Big Jubilee lunches, family fun days, group outings and tree plantings to name a few.
Find out more: https://www.lisburncastlereagh.gov.uk/news/local-communities-to-celebrate-queens-platinum-jubilee
Service of Thanksgiving
In partnership with Lisburn City Centre Ministers’ Fellowship, the council held a special Interdenominational Service of Thanksgiving for Her Majesty the Queen at Lisburn Cathedral.
The service was conducted by the Lisburn City Centre Ministers' Fellowship with musical performances by Wallace High School & Dundonald High School.
Light Ups and Flag Raising
As part of our Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, the council’s Civic Headquarters along with Castle Gardens and Union Bridge were lit purple from the 2-5 June.
The Union Flag was also raised at the Civic Headquarters from 1-7 June to mark this historic milestone in the Queen’s reign.
Flowerbeds
Flowerbeds have been planted in June at Castle Gardens in Lisburn, Moat Park in Dundonald and in Royal Hillsborough on the theme of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.
The floral display, planted by our Parks and Amenties team, is based upon the Queen's Platinum Jubilee Crest.
Talks Programme
The Irish Linen Centre & Lisburn Museum held a talk with Alan Greer, from Historic Royal Palaces, to explore the history of Hillsborough Castle and its link to the Royal Family.
The talk examined Hillsborough Castle and its role as a family home and Royal residence, as well as the awarding of Letters Patent in 2021, and the creation of ‘Royal Hillsborough’.
You can WATCH THE TALK HERE.
The Queen's Green Canopy
The Queen’s Green Canopy is an inclusive national initiative, meaning that everyone from across the United Kingdom can get involved. Whether you’re an individual hoping to plant a single sapling in your garden, a scout group planting a large tree or a city council intending to plant a whole avenue of trees to mark The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
Find out more to plan and deliver your project or pin your tree on the map at https://queensgreencanopy.org/
The Big Jubilee Lunch
The Big Jubilee Lunch took place between the 2nd to 5th June will be as the official community celebration for The Queen's Platinum Jubilee weekend .
Platinum Pudding Competition
Residents were encouraged to take part in the Fortnum & Mason competition to invent the Jubilee Pudding for The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022.The winning pudding will be an important part of the celebrations marking Her Majesty’s 70 years as Monarch and the creator of the winning pudding will be invited to be at the centre of the celebrations.
Entries for this are now closed.